Samsung Galaxy S7 To Compete With iPhone 7 In 2016

2016 will be a great year for smartphones as Samsung gets ready to release its Galaxy S7 smartphone and Apple readies the iPhone 7. There is more information available about the Galaxy S7 since it is only a couple months away from being released. According to SamMobile, leaked images show the Galaxy S7 with a 12.2MP rear camera and a 5.7-inch screen.

“2016 has begun, and the launch of Samsung’s next flagship smartphone will soon be upon us. The leaks are expected to start flowing in greater numbers over the next few weeks, and an image published on the web over the weekend has revealed a few specs of the 5.7-inch Snapdragon 820-powered variant of the Galaxy S7.”

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 16MP camera. [Photo via Daryl Deino]The 12.2MP rear camera part may sound disturbing; the Galaxy S6 has a 16MP rear camera. However, the quality of a camera isn’t always determined by the amount of megapixels it has. Still, going from 16MP to 12.2MP sounds rather disappointing. Hopefully, the final version of the device will be different.

GSMArena paints a different picture of the Galaxy S7 that is based on renders from case makers.

The article adds that there are a couple of different cases for the S7, including one for a thumb keyboard. Many believe that the Galaxy S7 doesn’t sound like a runaway hit, but it’s hard to judge an item that hasn’t been released yet.

Speaking of not being released, there are a lot of rumors surrounding Apple’s next smartphone, the iPhone 7. MacRumors has the latest.

“Apple’s next-generation iPhone 7 Plus may feature a 256GB storage option and larger 3,100 mAh battery as two differentiating features over the smaller iPhone 7…Apple may remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector, possibly helping the smartphones achieve between 6.0mm and 6.5mm thinness and a waterproof design.”

Will Apple really remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7? [Photo via Daryl Deino]Removing the headphone jack may not be as bad of an idea as some people think. Bluetooth wireless headphones are all the rage now and the sound on them has become much better. However, Apple still hasn’t provided aptX technology for better wireless music quality in their iPhones — this is something Samsung and other smartphone makers have provided for years. Either Apple will include the technology with the iPhone 7 or they will come up with their own Bluetooth music technology.

According to Forbes, we could finally see a waterproof iPhone 7, which is great for those who keep dropping their phones in toilets. Forbes and several other sites report that both new iPhones won’t have antenna stripes. This is significant as it will allow Apple to make a thinner iPhone. Allegedly, Apple will now design the new iPhones with “smart aluminum” that allows wireless signals to pass though them without any of the antenna stripes.

There is no word yet on whether or not Apple will increase the screen resolution on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus offer less pixels-per-inch than competing models and are barely “Retina” screens anymore. However, the more pixels-per-inch, the less battery life — and that is already an issue on the iPhone 6s. (The iPhone 6s Plus has a good battery life.)

The Samsung Galaxy S7 could make its way in March, while most predict that the iPhone 7 will be released in September, the month when new iPhones are usually released. Which smartphone do you want more — the Galaxy S7 or the iPhone 7? Let us know in the comments section.